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DWP Union News - Weekly Bulletin 27

2 July 2010

PCS says No to the Public Sector Pay Freeze in DWP and CMEC

DWP management have issued a Question and Answer brief to all staff on Pay. Although it answers some questions it does not answer all the questions members are asking about their pay rise this year. In particular it does not answer our questions on our progression payments, previous non-consolidated awards that need to be consolidated and why bonus money isn’t being used to give everyone a fair pay rise. Management have confirmed that those exempt from the freeze because they earn less than £21k will get at least £250. Pay talks with PCS will start in DWP and CMEC within the next fortnight. We will push management as hard as we can to find all the ways they can to give everyone the pay rise they deserve.

Job cuts in Jobcentre plus

Jobcentre Plus staff were shocked to be told on Monday that staffing in Jobcentre Plus is set to be cut by March 2011. Darra Singh, JCP Chief Executive justified the cuts by saying that workloads were reducing. Since then the Treasury have forecast that unemployment is set to rise substantially by 1.3 million over the next 5 years. We will need more staff – not less.

PCS argues for more staff

PCS met Darra Singh again this week and argued that all the FTA staff must have their contracts extended and that we need more permanent staff. In the light of the pay freeze and the increase in unemployment members must be given more certainty over staffing if morale and service delivery are not going to suffer.

Many members have written to their MPs and they are becoming concerned too. One MP – Kate Green asked the Prime Minister if it wasn’t a false economy to sack Jobcentre staff as unemployment rises. Keep the pressure up – write to your MP today.

PCS Contact Centre Forum held for DWP and CMEC

PCS Call centre reps from every part of DWP and CMEC met in Leeds this week to plan the next stage of our campaign to improve working conditions in all our call centres. PCS reps had their say in sessions on getting better access to Flexi and leave, decreasing work pressures like targets and monitoring, protecting members when they are sick or facing disciplinary issues, improving health and safety and stress and improving the way PCS organises for members in the contact centres. The Forum came up with some great ideas that the PCS Group Executive will discuss when they next meet later this month.

More flexibility needed for Call Centre members in DWP

PCS read with interest the results of the Blackburn pilot, which has been testing allowing greater access to flexible working for members working in the CCD network, and it has been a great success. Some of the comments included – “Very positive” “A brilliant idea that I hope will continue” and “I think it would be extremely detrimental to take this flexibility away” - and these were the comments from the managers running the pilot! PCS members loved it too saying “I feel under much less pressure” “Excellent” and “I hope it stays forever”. PCS are meeting with management next week to discuss how this successful pilot can lead to part of a range of improved working conditions for all CCD in a package we are discussing.

Together we will win.

  DWP union news - weekly bulletin 27

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